Shaft-bearing.



No. 703,492. Patented luly l, i902.

W. B. SPENCER.

SHAFT BEARING. (Appli'eation med oct. 12, 1899.

(No Model.)

"UNITED STATES PATENT rrion.

iWILLIAM BARTON SlPEl.\ICER,vk OF OHIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHAFT-BEARING.

SPECIFICATIGN forming para of Letters Patent No. vosneauated .'rulyl, 1902. i

Application filed October 12, 1899. Serial No. 7335388. (No model.)

at Chicago, inthe county ofuOook and State of Illinois, have invented a Anew and usefulV Shaft-Bearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to crank-shafts, and more particularly to the bearings therefor; and it has for its object to provide a construction which may be adapted tothe common form of crank-hanger to permit an arrangement of the bearings thereof, wherein the points of bearingat the ends of thefshaft will most nearly approach 'the planes of rotation of the cranks, the result being ailesser friction, a lesser tendency to longitudinal movement of the shaft, and aconsequent greater efficiency. K

A further object of the invention is to so construct the parts that theyfmay be readily adjusted and also that'foreign matter may be excluded from the bearing-surfaces.

Further objects andadvantages will be'apparent from the following description.

In the drawings forming a-portion of this specification, and in'which like numerals of referenceindicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the complete construction applied to the crank-hanger. Fig. 2 is a vertical central seo;A

tion of Fig. 1, taken longitudinally and showing the crank-axle and portions of the cranks in elevation.

2 and showing a modification. Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the interiorA of the crank-` hub at one end of the shaft. Fig. 5 is a re'-Y verse view of Fig. v4.

Referring now to the drawings, G is theV crank-han ger, of usual shape, with the eXcep-- the outer end thereof, and the outer face of. 'each of these iianges forms a race, a second .washers .12.

Fig. 3 isa View similar to Fig.VV

and cooperating-race being-formed upon the VVinner surface of eachsleeve intermediate the rflange 10`and'th'e outer end of the sleeve.. .In 55 order tohold the sleeves 9 in proper adjustment upon the ends of the hanger 6,=ja`m nuts 11 are disposed upon the threads of the hanger and are adapted to exert pressure against the sleeves through theintermediate 6o Disposed in the hanger 6 is acrank-shaft 13,

which Vis shown as having both ends threaded. Engaging the threadsofthecrank-shaft arethe hubs 14 and 15 of the cranks glgand 65 Y 17, these hubs havingeach agroove 18 there- ,inwhich' is angular in cross-section and fone side of which groove forms a race which cooperates withlthe races carried bythe adja- ,cent'sleeve' 9 to receive bearing-balls'20, 7o

Abeyond the adjacent, balls 20, and thusfsu'p-VSO Vports theY sprocket in a plane lying between the bearingsatthe opposite ends ot the-shaft. With' this construction itl will be seen that the jballs -withinf the; flange 23`projectfinto the .plane'of rotation off'the crank'l, and thusis 85 -the friction most easily distributed andthe usual detects incident to the common arrangement of bearings eliminated.` I t'will 'also be seen that when it is desired toadjust fthe bearings to compensate for wear the jam- 9o -nuts 11, which are provided With openings 25, V may be engaged by a Spanner to loosen them,

after which the sleeves 9 may be similarly engaged through the medium of the openings 26,and the bearing-races carried by thesleeves may be moved toward or away fromV the races carried by the hubs 14 and 15, andthe crank-sprocket may be properly alined with the rear sprocket.

In order to prevent disengagement of Vthe roo cranks from the crank-shaft when back-pedaling, the hubs 14 and 15 are held against rotation with respect to the shaft by means of screws 2S, engaging the threads of perforations 29 in the hubs of the cranks, and which perforations extend into the adjacent porlions of the crank-axle, these screws being, in effect, keys. Instead of having both crankhubs thus engaged, however, one of the cranks may be made integral with the crank-shaft.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings is shown a modiiication in which no sleeve 9 is employed at the sprocket end of the crank-hanger, and instead, a bearing-cone is pressed or threaded into the end of the shell. By this means, the alinementof the sprocket,with the rear-wheel sprocket is not affected and the adjustment of both the bearings may be accomplished by manipulation of the sleeve at the opposite end of the hanger.

Vhile the invention has been described in connection with a bicycle, it will of course be understood that it maybe employed under any other conditions to which it is adapted and that in the manufacture of the construction various modifications may be made and any desired proportions and material used without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- The combination of a crank-hanger having enlarged end portions 7 and 8 provided with exterior screw-threads, the interiorly-threaded sleeves 9 arranged on the exterior' of the end inner edges arranged substantially in alinement with the body portion of the hanger and forming ball-races with the outer portions of the sleeves 9, a crank-shaft extending through the hanger, cranks provided with hubs secured to the crank-shaft and provided with ball-race grooves 18, the inner portions of the hubs extending into the sleeves 9 beyond the intermediate anges 10 and the outer portions of the hubs extending over the said sleeves 9 and arranged on the exterior of the same, balls located within the ball-races of the sleeves 9 and in the grooves 18 of the hubs, the jam-nuts ll arranged on the threaded end portions of the hanger adjacent to the inner ends of the sleeves 9, and washers `interposed between the jam-nuts and the sleeves, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aliixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM BARTON SPENCER.

Vitn esses:

AMY E. STUART, G. F. RICHARD. 

